Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-20
LOVES LhBOUR WON.
AN EvENTFUL STORY.
BEJAM Els GRANT,
AurEoR OF THE ROMANCE OF WAR;" "THE
BLACK WATCH" "FAIRER THAN A
FAIRY" ETC, ETC.
TThe Right eff Translation is Reserved

The expedition for this purpose con-
sisted OF fully IL 900 men-ultimately, by
July, increased to 24,184 men-ied BY
Major1General Dslrymple Prendergast, g
veteran officer, who served in the Persian
campaign with Outrsm, in the wars Of
Central India with Lord Strathnairn, was
severely wounded in the battles Of Nun
desore and Betwa, won the coveted V c.
had his horse shot under him at Ratghur
and was Field Engineer at the Conquest
of Abgssinia.
Among the troops proceeding to Bur
nah In this expedition were the Liverpool
regiment (old Sth FOOD and the Roya
Welsh Fusiliers, commanded respectively
by Colonels Andrew LIE Messurier, Cri
mean veteran, and John lilly, who had
served with the 23d Fusiliers in the In.
dian Mutiny, and been one of the csptors
of Lucknow. These battalions were the
backbone of the Bengal contingent, while
from Madras and elsewhere cane the 2nd
Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, Bed
fordshire, Welsh Borderers, Middlesex
and HaLts, all Queens regiments.
Except the Blue Jackets of the Indian
squadron, all the rest were native troops,
and all had orders to concentrate al
RGngoon, where armed steamers and fat
bottomed barges were to be ready for
transport service on the Irswaddy, and
forty-pounder guns-to batter the river
ports-were to be placed in cargo boats.
Meanwhile, we heard that the Burmese
were sUsg constructing earthworks, and
had 8 gunbost laying down torpedos at
TeInhls, and placing flre-rafts, hulks
and chains ACROSS the river to bar our
passage.
The time given for the Burmese answer
to the British ultimstum was to expire
on the 5th of November (Guy Fawkes'
Day., and hostilities were to commence
on the 1Ith.
After the concentration of Rangoon,
the expedition was at once TO ascend the
Irawsddy and strike vigorous blow at
the forces of The inhuman TheebaW in the
vicinity of Minhls, which was expected to
be the scene Of the first conflict.
TheebEw's reply was long, unsstis-
factory and hostile document, and he
called upon all the loyal Burmese to fight
for the white elephant, their country and
religion, Offering TO lead themin person,
and thus ensure victory while the
slaughter of the invaders was not to begin
until they crossed the frontier.
In British Burmah were already the
second Battalion Of Lonsdale's regiment,
the Thirteenth, or Somersetshire Light
Infantry, snd the Royal Scots Fusillers.
sal made this voyage once BEFORE with
our I'd Battalion" said Montressor, as he
and Lonsdaie tired the poop together, CT
gar in mouth; "and know we shall see
the uuinviting shores of Burmsh to-mor-
all RI
is about seven hundred and eighty miles,
and the first point we sight is the Aqua
da Lighthouse. What strange things
have happened to me since I saw it last!"
he added.
- That evening the muddy state Of the
water, through which the tall white
trooper cleft wey, portended her ep-
proach to the shores Of Burmah. This
dark fluid proceedsifrom the chief mouth
of the IraWaddY, which has fourteen in
all-not one too many for q river thou
sand miles in length-the Nile of the land
of the white elephant.
At that season If flows so rapidly that
its current would be toe powerful for
boats so stem, were 1t not for the aid OF
the southwest monsoon, which sets in
the opposite direction. Assisted by the
wind, and constantly keeping within the
eddies of the banks, the Burmese craft
use their sails, and frequently achieve
more speedy passage at this period. E..
from June to September-thGn at any
other. But it was naturally supposed
that the Irawaddy FIotilla Company, with
its great feet of fifty double decked river
steamers, each towing couple or more
rats, would render US Independent of all
local contingencies.
The rays of the rising sun next morn
ing tipped with golden CLEAN the first
point of land visible on the port bow, the
Aguads Lighthouse, perched on q granite
reef and marking the locality of danger
Gus cluster of rocks.
It rises near the mouth of the
IrswaddY, to the height of
160 feet, and has eight alterns-
tive broad aRd deeply painted streaks or
circular bands of black and white; at the
summit it is sll of the latter hue, and for
q time the effects of the sunshine on the
water were beautiful. Seaward, the way
our ships had come, the waves were blue,
but tipped with fire as they rose and fell;
around the Aguada Reef they boiled like
molten silver, and far away toward Ele
phsnts Point-so named from two famous
trees which grew there, and in form to-
gether resembIed an elephant-they rolled
upon the yellow shore like liquid gold,
mingled with snow-white foam: and
there it is usual to throw overheard q
bottle, With particulars of the voyage; but
in Qneen's snip no one thought of doing
that.
From the brilliantly green and wonder
fully-luxuriant jungle there starts up,
near the Point, the bright scarlet cone Of
8 ruined psgoda. "Guodoms certainly
showed some wisdom in selecting such
position for shrine," says writer; "as
If he had once showered commercial
prosperity on the empire, and placed q
sentinel over it at the mouth Of one OF
his rivers; which prosperity, on account
Of the misconduct of his devotees, was,
like the temple, fastening TO decay"
Taking advantage of the interest caused
by the land view, in a quiet corner
ships steward, with ore or two more,
was busy "hGllipg" cask-which had
once held spirits-with gallon or so of
fresh water.
'sFor what is this2" asked Lonsdale,
en- PEASANT.
$40 splice the mainstay, your honor"
he replied, saluting with one hand and
wiping his mouth with the back of the
other, as the produce Of the cask-pretty
fair grog pow-wss quickly disposed Of,
ere the eyes Of authority detected it.
In due time, the entrance to the Ran
COON river was reached-an estuary hsv-
ing low banks, but picturesque aspect,
= inn md